Just say no.

So, porn in hotels. Huh. Well, this is an interesting topic to occur in a PR ethics class, or any class for that matter.

Well, to start, I grew up the youngest in a very conservative home where TV in general was a tight issue. Our household was one that watched "TGIF", saturday morning cartoons and nothing of "The Simpsons", "Married with Children" or "Bevis and Butthead." Not saying that these shows have any real correlation to porn, but this is the kind of conservatism I grew up with.

So, to think that anyone would watch porn, be it in a hotel or at home, is appauling to me.

But before I get on a soapbox, let's focus on the ethics-side of the situation at hand. There are a lot of people in the US who view or are in the industry of pornography, but there are probably more people who are opposed to it. And although to view it, you have to be a certain age and pay for it in hotels does not mean that it should be there. Any kid could stumble into the menu of the hotel TV and accidentally charge porn to the hotel room. For this reason, it is appauling that any hotel would sell pornography on the chance that someone could order it without wanting it.

I am turning into my mother. I can hear her now saying, "Just because they have the rights and freedom to sell porn, does that make it right?!" That phrase, although cliche' and too much like my mother, is what I really feel about the situation. And in answer, no, it doesn't. Although it has been happening for a while, I feel like if this topic remains in the media spotlight for too long, the hotel industry will recieve some backlash. Or at least I hope they do.

Hotels need to be aware that it is not always about the money they could make, it's about the right decisions that could be made.

Decisions, decisions.

Oh, T.O.

This past week of news coverage concerning TO of the Dallas Cowboys has really gotten me to take a closer look at the world of PR. There are so many issues to ponder with this case. TO has been an issue before he was even a Cowboy. The optimistic PR practitioner would say that "no publicity is bad publicity," but in this instance, TO is not just the talk of the town because he's arrogant and pushy. He may in fact be detrimental to himself and the reputation of his team.

Yes, in the media's eyes, this is a he-said-she-said situation where no one really knows what really happened, however, to me and my peers it should be a who talked or didn't talk or a what did they really say situation. If there are restrictions on what the police can or cannot say about suicide attempts, why would the Police call a press conference to then only say they know nothing? Smart. I also have to agree with Jean-Jacques Taylor's article, in that, the right people weren't talking. Parcells, Jerry Jones or anyone involved with the on-goings of the Cowboys should have said more or anything, really.

Unity. Singular messages. It's what we as practitioners learn to preach and practice in our organizations. How many times are we going to see organizations let their PR department slide? Cowboys. Disney. Cowboys and T.O. could have used someone who actually knows PR, not just a friend who's covering their back. Some days, seeing these cases go wrong is what keeps me going. But that's a whole other blog. Maybe next time.